The U.S.-backed force that defeated the Islamic State group in Syria five years ago warned Saturday that the extremists still pose grave dangers throughout the world and called on the international community to find solutions for thousands of fighters still held in its jails.
The statement by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to mark the fifth anniversary since IS lost the last sliver of its self-declared caliphate came hours after the group claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in Moscow that left 133 people dead.
On March 23, 2019, SDF fighters captured the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz marking the end of the extremist group’s caliphate that was carved out of large parts of Syria and Iraq. During its rule, IS brutalized millions of people and attracted thousands of men and women from around the world to join it ranks.
“The liberation of Baghouz marked a pivotal moment. Our forces freed millions from the organization’s terror, safeguarding not only our region but the world from its barbarity,†the SDF said.
Despite its defeat, IS sleeper cells and its affiliates in Asia and Africa still claim deadly attacks as well as in Syria and neighboring Iraq where the extremists were defeated in 2017.
“The terrorist organization still poses a great danger to our regions and the world,†the SDF said, adding that “it seeks to rebuild itself through its sleeper cells and tries to revive its dreams of regaining geographical control over some areas.â€
The SDF said that in order to completely eradicate IS it must dismantle “its ideological breeding ground.â€
The SDF is holding some 10,000 captured IS fighters in northeast Syria in around two dozen detention facilities — including 2,000 foreigners whose home countries have refused to repatriate them. U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters also oversee some 45,000 family members of IS fighters, mostly women and children in the sprawling al-Hol camp. The camp once had a population of 73,000 but dropped as some countries have been repatriating their citizens.
Many of the women and children remain die-hard IS supporters, and the camp has seen bouts of militant violence. In February, the SDF concluded a dayslong security operation at al-Hol during which they detained 85 people, captured weapons and freed a Yazidi woman who was raped and forced to marry IS fighters.
“The issue of ISIS detainees requires a global solution,†the SDF said, using a term to refer to IS. It added that their home countries should repatriate their nationals, or an international court established in northeast Syria where they can stand trial.
The SDF said that ending the case of IS families at al-Hol camp “is a priority that cannot be overlooked or ignored, as the camp is still a ticking time bomb.â€
“Concerns are growing about the children of ISIS who are receiving the organization’s teachings within this terrorist-infested environment,†it said.
“This in itself poses a threat to the future of the region and the world,†the SDF said.
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to build a tunnel under Highway 401 that would stretch from Brampton to Scarborough.
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Canada's wildfire season is on track to be the second largest in at least the last two decades, trailing only last year's record-breaking season.
A man who "systematically isolated, manipulated, deceived, abused, and exploited" an elderly North Vancouver woman has lost his ownership stake in her home.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to build a tunnel under Highway 401 that would stretch from Brampton to Scarborough.
A veteran Montreal police officer says racism is a 'cancer eating away at the organization' in a stinging resignation letter.
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Pope Francis took the unusual decision Wednesday to expel 10 people – a bishop, priests and laypeople -- from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered 'sadistic' abuses of power, authority and spirituality.
A Missouri man convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and repeatedly stabbing her was executed Tuesday over the objections of the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison.
Dozens of U.S. troops have been deployed to Cyprus amid sharply escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
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The death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran rose to 50 on Wednesday after one of the miners who was injured in the weekend blast died in hospital, the Iranian state television reported.
The Kentucky sheriff of a small Appalachian county who is accused of walking into a judge's chambers and fatally shooting him pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Wednesday.
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Liberal MP Faycal El-Khoury, who was born in Lebanon, says Canada needs to push its peer countries more to stop a cycle of violence in the Middle East, or it could lead to a world war.
Canada's chief electoral officer is playing down any suggestion that Elections Canada should directly administer political nomination or leadership contests.
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A team at the University of Waterloo are developing a process to 3D-print bones, which could dramatically improve the quality of life for cancer and trauma patients.
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to build a tunnel under Highway 401 that would stretch from Brampton to Scarborough.
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The Resort Village of Candle Lake says the devastating Monday morning fire has completely destroyed a portion of the Candle Lake Golf Course clubhouse.
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The complainant in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial alleges that the musician raped, choked and urinated on her after she attended his band's concert in June 2016.
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Fire crews from Listowel, Atwood, and Monkton battled the blaze on Line 81, which started around 5 p.m. Tuesday.
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The Ontario government is investing $2.7 million in a new mobile mental health crisis team focused on helping those experiencing homelessness or crises.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
A statement from the province said Musyj will work closely with LHSC senior leadership and staff to address concerns regarding hospital governance and operations, and management practices, including concerning financial performance, that were found as a result of a third-party review.
A major yogurt maker is recalling one of its brands in Canada over concerns that it may cause illness in immunocompromised people.
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British Columbia's New Democrats have unveiled a plan that Leader David Eby says will help middle-income families purchase a home by financing 40 per cent of the price.
A man who "systematically isolated, manipulated, deceived, abused, and exploited" an elderly North Vancouver woman has lost his ownership stake in her home.
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The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
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To make higher education an easier step to take for Indigenous students, the University of Lethbridge is dropping some fees for those applicants.
A northern Ontario woman in her first term as mayor of Timmins has given birth to her second child.
The complainant in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial alleges that the musician raped, choked and urinated on her after she attended his band's concert in June 2016.
A 25-year-old suspect was charged with impaired driving Sept. 21 after police spotted two people without helmets on an ATV on Sand Bay Road in Goulais River.
Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
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